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Home » General Talk, Buying and Selling » Open Discussions » "1916 World's Champions" Watches.
"1916 World's Champions" Watches. [message #9729] Fri, 18 January 2019 23:57 Go to next message
Ephemerald
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Location: City of Lake Salt
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March 1917.

/vgforum/index.php?t=getfile&id=4036&private=0

The team.

/vgforum/index.php?t=getfile&id=4037&private=0

Check out the description and an example here.
Thanks!


http://www.greyflannelauctions.com/1916_boston_red_sox_playe rs_championship_pocket_wa-lot40296.aspx


Matthias
Re: "1916 World's Champions" Watches. [message #9730 is a reply to message #9729] Sat, 19 January 2019 01:15 Go to previous messageGo to next message
thesnark17 is currently offline  thesnark17
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Gruen Master
Fascinating!

The only other baseball team that I've heard of receiving Gruen watches after the World Series is the 1923 Yankees (14k V2.5 Pentagons). I wonder how many years this was done?

Thank you for a much higher quality data point than usual!
Re: "1916 World's Champions" Watches. [message #9732 is a reply to message #9730] Sat, 19 January 2019 02:58 Go to previous messageGo to next message
JackW is currently offline  JackW
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Whoa! It went for $48,871.

All I know is based on hard work & writing by others. I can only aspire to augment this body of knowledge. If I am wrong it is because of my own failings. -me

"If I have seen farther it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." - Newton
Re: "1916 World's Champions" Watches. [message #9733 is a reply to message #9730] Sat, 19 January 2019 03:17 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Ephemerald
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thesnark17 wrote on Sat, 19 January 2019 01:15
Fascinating!

The only other baseball team that I've heard of receiving Gruen watches after the World Series is the 1923 Yankees (14k V2.5 Pentagons). I wonder how many years this was done?

Thank you for a much higher quality data point than usual!
No problem.

I don't know how accurate it is but from the description in the link, easy to miss but it may answer your question.

"Championship rings for World Series victory first debuted in 1922 and became the standard format in 1926. Before that time, pendants and watch fobs were the most common player prize."

Seems to fit in with your Yankees story.
If you have a reference I'd love to see it.


Matthias

[Updated on: Sat, 19 January 2019 03:24]

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Re: "1916 World's Champions" Watches. [message #9734 is a reply to message #9732] Sat, 19 January 2019 03:23 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Ephemerald
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JackW wrote on Sat, 19 January 2019 02:58
Whoa! It went for $48,871.
Makes you wonder what the one inscribed with "Babe Ruth" would go for...


Matthias
Re: "1916 World's Champions" Watches. [message #9735 is a reply to message #9734] Sat, 19 January 2019 03:31 Go to previous messageGo to next message
JackW is currently offline  JackW
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Ephemerald wrote on Sat, 19 January 2019 03:23
Makes you wonder what the one inscribed with "Babe Ruth" would go for...
It went for $717,000

https://www.atimelyperspective.com/blog/2014/02/24/babe-ruth -1923-world-series-pocket-watch-by-gruen-sells-for-717000.ht ml

That is alot of peanuts and popcorn.


All I know is based on hard work & writing by others. I can only aspire to augment this body of knowledge. If I am wrong it is because of my own failings. -me

"If I have seen farther it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." - Newton
Re: "1916 World's Champions" Watches. [message #9737 is a reply to message #9735] Sat, 19 January 2019 03:57 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Ephemerald
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JackW wrote on Sat, 19 January 2019 03:31
Ephemerald wrote on Sat, 19 January 2019 03:23
Makes you wonder what the one inscribed with "Babe Ruth" would go for...
It went for $717,000

https://www.atimelyperspective.com/blog/2014/02/24/babe-ruth -1923-world-series-pocket-watch-by-gruen-sells-for-717000.ht ml

That is alot of peanuts and popcorn.
Oh nice! Wow.
It was big news. This is what I love about Gruen.
I have learned more about Babe than I ever have because of these watches.
Started out as a pitcher blew my mind.
Looks like the Sultan of Swat had his own collection of Gruen watches.
Very cool. I think I prefer the green gold octagon, personally.


Matthias

[Updated on: Sat, 19 January 2019 04:23]

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Re: "1916 World's Champions" Watches. [message #9739 is a reply to message #9737] Sat, 19 January 2019 15:58 Go to previous messageGo to next message
thesnark17 is currently offline  thesnark17
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I guess what I really want to know, is how many times it was done with Gruen watches! I had assumed only once (1923) - but here's 1916! I guess any year up to 1926 is fair game.

Even for the two years we know about, most of the issued watches are "missing from the Internet" (probably in family deposit boxes or private collections). If there were other years, we might not know about them at all. However, this has sparked my interest. I will go explore the Google!
Re: "1916 World's Champions" Watches. [message #9741 is a reply to message #9739] Sat, 19 January 2019 17:55 Go to previous messageGo to next message
thesnark17 is currently offline  thesnark17
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Okay, here's what I can find:

1903 Boston Red Sox - watch fob
1904 no Series
1905 New York Giants - tie pin
1906 Chicago White Sox - watch fob
1907 Chicago Cubs - watch fob
1908 Chicago Cubs - watch fob; losers Detroit had Elgin watches
1909 Pittsburgh Pirates - watch fob, Jules Jurgensen watch given by team owner
1910 Philadelphia Athletics - watch fob
1911 Philadelphia Athletics - watch fob
1912 Boston Red Sox - watch fob, (probably unofficial) Dubois/Longines watch
1913 Philadelphia Athletics - E. Howard (players), Waltham Colonial (management) given by team owner
1914 Boston Braves - tie pin, some were made into rings
1915 Boston Red Sox - watch fob
1916 Boston Red Sox - Gruen V4 Octathin
1917 Chicago White Sox - watch fob
1918 Boston Red Sox - watch fob
1919 Cincinnati Reds - watch fob
1920 Cleveland Indians - cuff links, watch fob
1921 New York Giants - watch fob
1922 New York Giants - ring - first "official" ring
1923 New York Yankees - Gruen V2.5 Pentagon (possibly other calibers too)
1924 Washington Senators - watch fob
1925 Pittsburgh Pirates - watch fob
Rings were official issue every year from here on, but that doesn't mean other things weren't issued!
1926 St. Louis Cardinals - rings, Illinois A. Lincoln pocket watch (from fans by subscription)

1928 New York Yankees - Hamilton wristwatch

1930 Philadelphia Athletics - Hamilton (?? private label) pocket watch, tie pin
1931 St. Louis Cardinals - Waltham 21j Colonial A pocket watch (from fans by subscription)

1937 New York Yankees - Hamilton pocket watch
1938 New York Yankees - Hamilton pocket watch

1941 New York Yankees - Hamilton pocket watch

1944 St. Louis Cardinals - Gruen unknown model, probably 380

1947 New York Yankees - Hamilton 21j pocket watch

1956 New York Yankees - Rolex Oyster Perpetual wristwatch


So it turns out there were three years with Gruen watches! The 1944 watches are quite striking.

Also it appears that the Yankees were rich - who would have thought?

[Updated on: Sat, 19 January 2019 17:56]

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Re: "1916 World's Champions" Watches. [message #9744 is a reply to message #9741] Sat, 19 January 2019 18:25 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Ephemerald
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You got serious Google skillzz. Smile
I did find one mention of some 1923 Gruens, the only thing I can't quite figure out is....we're the Yankees called the Americans...
Apologize about the quality of this one.

/vgforum/index.php?t=getfile&id=4046&private=0






Matthias

[Updated on: Sat, 19 January 2019 18:41]

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Re: "1916 World's Champions" Watches. [message #9745 is a reply to message #9744] Sat, 19 January 2019 19:04 Go to previous messageGo to next message
thesnark17 is currently offline  thesnark17
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Fascinating that Herschede prepared most of the early watch fobs. They are extremely similar year-to-year (basically only the date differs) up to about 1921.

The New York Yankees were/are an American League team, and at the time, the National/American League rivalry was very strong. I assume that the text is referencing the fact that the American League team won in 1923. There is no doubt that they are referring to the Yankees!

Re: "1916 World's Champions" Watches. [message #9751 is a reply to message #9745] Sat, 19 January 2019 23:54 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Ephemerald
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Looks like Gruen took baseball as serious as their bowling team.
I can not tell you how many blurbs I have on their bowling league.
At one point, they had a combined team of Wadsworth/Gruen employees.

1920.
/vgforum/index.php?t=getfile&id=4053&private=0


Matthias
Re: "1916 World's Champions" Watches. [message #9762 is a reply to message #9751] Sun, 20 January 2019 17:44 Go to previous messageGo to next message
kastner is currently offline  kastner
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I have some copies of the Gruen Time, the employees' magazine, and in 1944 there was also the Gruen Girls Glee Club, the Gruen Girls Basketball Team (who won the Ohio State Championship in the amateur athletic union), and a Gruen Girls Softball team.
Re: "1916 World's Champions" Watches. [message #9770 is a reply to message #9762] Sun, 20 January 2019 20:44 Go to previous messageGo to next message
JackW is currently offline  JackW
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kastner wrote on Sun, 20 January 2019 17:44
I have some copies of the Gruen Time, the employees' magazine
Which months do you have? Did you know that there was an employee edition and also one for their retailers?


All I know is based on hard work & writing by others. I can only aspire to augment this body of knowledge. If I am wrong it is because of my own failings. -me

"If I have seen farther it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." - Newton
Re: "1916 World's Champions" Watches. [message #9777 is a reply to message #9770] Mon, 21 January 2019 02:34 Go to previous messageGo to next message
kastner is currently offline  kastner
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I didn't know that they made an employee edition and retailer edition. I have the 1944 employee editions, all of them it seems, bound in a personalized cover for John R. Bullock. They are filled with wonderful glimpses of the company: Lists of birthdays, reports from Gruen employees in the service and where you can write them, suggestions for improvements, select employee profiles, misc. fun facts ("With the fog that Cincinnati has had for the past few weeks this is probably excusable and at least understandable, but George Kueffner came to work recently wearing one black and one brown shoe"), articles about the company, and so on. I should scan this and share.
Re: "1916 World's Champions" Watches. [message #9860 is a reply to message #9745] Mon, 04 February 2019 21:31 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Ephemerald
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I came across this absolute must read on the 1923 watches:

http://haulsofshame.com/blog/?p=27381


Matthias
Re: "1916 World's Champions" Watches. [message #10549 is a reply to message #9860] Sun, 14 July 2019 00:02 Go to previous message
Timeticker is currently offline  Timeticker
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I sure am glad I held on to my Octathin!!!

People you thought were your best friends will stab you in the back to your face!

Love them anyway.
A "Paradoxical Commandment"

[Updated on: Sun, 14 July 2019 00:02]

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